16 thoughts on “Welcome to Growing Together Newhaven”

The website is looking fantastic! I’ve really enjoyed reading the posts that everyone has been putting up. The cheesy leek soup sounds delicious and the photos of the willow workshop are great. Well done!

Dear All,
A dry and sunny day, with a cold wind, not that you’d have noticed, once you got going. Very soggy underfoot !!!
I set too and cut back some of the encroaching brambles, before lining up the compost bins near the pond, ready for them to be filled as we tidy and clear up the garden for the spring.
Margaret came, and started to weed and clear the awfull grass around the base of the willow structure, easily filling up one compost bin as she went.
A large Rubarb plant was dug up and split Into three. They would have been in the way when we later re-align the bed’s across the slope, rather than up and down It, so they will need a new home in a permanent bed, when we decide where that is !
I rounded up the odd weed-filled pot, and stuff that needed cutting back and pulling out, and that also went into one of the bins. Won’t be long before we have plenty if our own compost for our raised beds !
The Daffs are showing in the Bath, and I planted some Polyanthus in with them that I had going spare. Looking OK.

Spring Is definitely on It’s way, but the cold wind Is still holding everything back at the moment. BUT…..the ground has dried out, and………

The new tool shed is now in place, and waiting to be painted Green, to blend in a bit more. At the moment It’s a bright orange-brown. !
Now that the Summerhouse is clear, the interior shelving etc…will now be finished. There is room to sit inside out of the wind and rain,( If need be ) or put your feet up and have a cup of tea and admire the view. Wonderful ! And……..
The base for the new BBQ is down, so It won’t be long before the first Hamburger arrives……….
The existing raised bed is being cleared bit by bit, and veg seeds are going in (lettuce and beet root at the moment) covered with a cloche to keep them nice and warm.

The next ‘Garden Day’ is Sunday April 12th, 11-1. Hope It’s a bit warmer by then. T

Dear all,
Ages ago, or so It seemed, we registered with Britian in Bloom. Well, this afternoon their rep Fiona, came to have a look at the work-in-progress and heard about the many plans we have for the Garden. ( Chickens, Pig’s, a roundhouse, a camping site………)
The priority is access to and around the site. It’s not easy at the moment If you have any mobility problems. Also, the ground is mainly clay and on a slope, so It can be a bit of a mess in the winter. Having said that, we have just had a donation of bricks offered to us !
With the warmer and drier weather, the amount of mowing has gone down, and one of our plans is to re-design the layout of the raised beds to get more of them, and to cut down on the mowing.
Still picking peas, lettuce, Kale and carrots, and the onions are swelling up nicely. The Runner Beans are at last taking off. With It being such a windy spot that they can be blasted flat.
I sowed some Parsley & It’s come up. I’m pleased, because It dosen’t usually germinate for me. I’ve enough now to keep me going for a while !
There is also a clump of field Poppies and Cornflowers in full bloom, as well as some direct sown Bee friendly annuals making a lovely display, a nice splodge of colour !

Come up and visit on the Tuesday or the next Garden Day, August 9th.?
Tricia

Just spent a lovely afternoon pottering around in the sunshine with the help of Toby and Lawrence.
The grass has been cut, keeping It looking tidy and creating more mulch for the raised beds. Just in time as the mower gave up !
Picking Peas, and fresh carrots. The next lot of Beetroot is nearly ready, as are the onions. The Sunflowers are doing well, and were tied up again to stop the wind from flattening them.
As we were sitting down having a cuppa, we watched the ferry in the distance, come in. What a lovely way to end the day.

Dear All,
A really HOT ‘gardenday ‘ up at the Garden. Almost too hot. It was lovely. The grass was cut, pot’s were watered, veggies were picked, flowers were cut and tea was consumed in the shade of the Summerhouse……….
and I was thinking, Gardeners out there, old and new, would you like to know more about compost making, or seed collecting, or plant Identification or any other garden subject ?.
We could then maybe have some workshops and swop Ideas about such things If there is enough Interest. What do you think ?
PS. Thank You to the person who left a tray full of plants by the Summerhouse.

Dear All,
Sunday was another lovely, dry and glorious sunny day up at the Garden. Me and Joan got stuck in to weeding and digging out some Garlic Chives that needed moving.
Pete started cutting the grass, as It is still growing like mad. I continued, and added the grass to our now unruly compost heap.
We had one or two visitors, curious as to what we were doing, and we hope they will want to come back and get stuck in, and enjoy the Garden as much as we do.
A sturdy bench has been made around the area of the bonfire by some of our hard working men, for future get-togethers and BBQ’s.
We are pleased to say that the donated bricks for the paths and raised beds have arrived, so, Is there anyone out there who has the time and Is willing help us with this project ?.
The next ‘Garden Day’ is November 8th, weather permitting. 11 to 1-00 ish.

What a lovely hour or two, spent doing some knitting, having a go at drawing, pottering around and watering the garden. It’s been a warm sunny day (at last), with lovely views to enjoy over the sea, as the sun goes down.
We had a bonfire earlier in the week, and reduced the pile of wood that had accumulated, a little bit. This is the area at the top of the garden where we would like to encourage people to come and camp.
The roses over the Summerhouse are doing well this year, and with the red geraniums glowing, and the Delphinium bursting with blueness, what a wonderful time of year.

Tuesday 7th Feb.
It was a beautiful still, dry, sunny day. WOW.
I started trimming the willow circle, a lot to cut back , but It was warm in the sunshine.
The bath by the summerhouse was cleared, and topped up with fresh compost, ready for some new plants.
I also had a go at the weeds and grass that have invaded the wild flower area by the pond, which incidentally is full up at the minute.
I will continue clearing around the pond by the hedge, as there are quite a few bulbs to come up, and they can’t be seen at the moment because of the long grass and brambles covering them.
So, the sorting and tidying up continues. The raised beds that were done last year, will soon be planted up. I got a load of seeds from the Brighton Seed Swap. Too many in fact, but can you have too many ?

Just had a lovely time with Jacqui, Leanne, Paul, Sam and me as they cleared and dug over an area chosen for a herb bed. After all the rain we had yesterday, the ground was easy to dig and plant out, so the Job was all done, and It looks great !
With all this rain, the flowers and veg are doing well. Some of the carrots, radishes, tomatoes and lettuce are ready to pick, with the spuds not so far behind. I have multicoloured sunflowers blooming as well as red cosmos and nasturtiums. Lovely.

The sun eventually came out, and It was really warm. I concentrated on planting some crocus and snowdrops by the gate, and near the pond. Bob was potting up some strawberry plants, and Leanne and Paul weeded the herb bed. We found time to have a sit down with a cup of tea (sigh) and admire the view (another sigh) before we got on again.
I cleared round the back of the tool shed, to store the large pots and other things out of the way, but they will still be accessible If need be.
The grass still keeps growing, and still needs mowing, the grass cuttings helping to fill up one of the new raised beds, as well as leaves, veg peelings and hedge prunings from elsewhere.
Tricia

First visit for 2018. Very wet and slippery, but dry. The walnut tree has been moved to the dog leg through the hard work of Paul and Leanne.
We will wait and see if it takes off. The first crocus are showing and a solitary snowdrop, so far, and just as we were leaving, the sun came out !

Loving the garden guys! Keep up the good work. Didn’t entirely enjoy digging up the walnut tree and moving it but it was a great job to get done! Look forward to more bbq’s up there in the spring…and less digging

Hi Paul and everybody, Good News! I popped up yesterday afternoon to water the new jostaberry bush (expect that to grow and GROW!) and weed the chamomile lawn – not yet ready to roll in though, Peter! – and checked out the walnut; at last the buds are beginning to open up under the extreme sunshine the tree now gets, so your hard yakka was not in vain. I had begun to think the worst but it should be ok now.

The jostaberry will make very good (if sharp) fruit and act as a windbreak. The Dawn Chorus monitoring people are due in early May so we should go worldwide…

At last ! a lovely day when we can get gardening !!!!!! The sun is shining, and the ground is drying out.
I had a tidy up, as so many plants had died over the very wet and grey winter, with that cold blast from Siberia not helping either.
My raised bed looked so bedraggled, so that was cleared ready for the off. I had some Polyanthus plants in need of a home, so they went in round the edge, and I took home the last of the leeks.
Pete got out the strimer and tackled the very long grass, and the pots that were drying out got a good water.
By the end of the day you could see that a good start had been made !
Tricia

Gardening Courses / Events

Garden Days – This Weekend: 28th October, then the First Sunday of Every Month
We will be up working outdoors in the garden (weather permitting) from 11 onwards
hope to see you there x
2nd December
6th January
don't miss the Bonfire Celebration! on 3rd November